Aspirating device



Nov. 17, 1970 F. DEUSCHLE 3,541,583

ASPIRATING DEVICE Filed April 27. 1967 INVENTOR FRITZ DEUSCHLE ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Oflice 3,541,583 ASPIRATIN G DEVICE Fritz Deuschle, St. Augustine, Fla., assignor to Sherwood Medical Industries Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 634,239 Int. Cl. A61c 17/04 U.S. C]. 32-33 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An aspirating device including a molded tip which can be telescoped onto tubes of various diameter and a tube having a transversely or circumferentially grooved or serrated wire in the tube wall. The serrations inhibit removal of the wire from the tube wall. The tip has a flexible connected rib structure with internally projecting deformable rib elements which merge centrally to close the distal end of the tip and terminate in a concavity at the mold gate. An internal shoulder is provided in the tip for blocking a tube wall wire from extending beyond the tube end.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates generally to aspirating devices and more particularly to an improved tip and an improved tube for a saliva ejecting device which overcomes problems often encountered with such tips and tubes.

Description of the prior art An example of prior art aspirating devices is disclosed by J. L. Higgins et al. in US. Pat. No. 3,256,885, entitled Aspirating Device. In that patent, a device is described which includes a tube having a wire embedded in the wall thereof and having a tip member for enclosing an end of the tube. However, it has been found that the wire in the tube wall, during bending of the tube, tends to move longitudinally relative to the ube wall material to extend exposed from the end of the tube a sufficient amount to engage, puncture, or otherwise damage mouth tissues during use in a saliva aspirating device. Also, bending of the tube can cause the wire to tear loose from the tube wall.

Additionally the blunt or flat end tip members described in the above mentioned patent are molded with the molding gate at the center of the tip member end wall so that when the gate is broken off after molding, a sharp nib or projection can remain as the gate residue, and this nib or projection can also scratch or otherwise irritate mouth tissues during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of this invention to provide a new and useful aspirating device which overcomes problems such as those discussed above. More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a new and useful aspirator tip which is capable of protecting mouth tissues against scratching by sharp nibs left at the aspirator tip end by removal of the molding gate. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved aspirating tip that can be used on different diameter tubes and results in an improved and easier aspiration of fluids therethrough. In another aspect of this invention it is an object to provide a new and useful aspirating device tip which includes a portion for blocking the extension of a wire from the end of a tube wall when the tube is used in combination with the tip.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and useful tube combination having a malleable element 3,541,583 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 embedded in the wall thereof which is positively blocked against longitudinal movement relative to the tube wall.

A further object is to provide a new and useful tube for use in an aspirating device in which the malleable element more securely grips the material of the tube wall to hold the malleable element against removal therefrom.

The present invention provides an aspirating device tip, an aspirating device tube and a variety of combinations of tip and tube employing features set out in the aforementioned objects.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawing and will be described in detail a specific embodiment of the invention together with modifications thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment or modifications illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side plan view of an aspirating device including a tube and a tip according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the tube in cross-section with a form of malleable element embedded in the wall;

FIG. 3 is a section through another form of malleable element which can be employed in the device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows another device using the tube of FIG. 1 with a prior art type tip member and also illustrates in phantom a problem associated with the use of a prior art tube in combination with the prior art tip member;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1 with the tube bent for more convenient use as a saliva aspirating device and showing the tip in section;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged end view of the aspirator tip of the device of FIG. 1 taken from the closed end of the tip; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged end view of the aspirator tip of the device of FIG. 1 taken from the open end of the tip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI- MENT AND MODIFICATIONS Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the drawing, an aspirating device is shown comprising a flexible plastic tubing 11, which is preferably clear, smooth, soft, and lightweight tubing, such as extruded plasticized polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene tubing. A malleable element, such as the malleable wire 12 is embedded in a wall of tube and extends the length of the tube 11. The malleable element can be of soft iron, aluminum or other malleable material and can be embeded during forming of the tube 11 by extrusion or other molding techniques. In the preferred form, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the wire 12 preferably has transverse serrations or grooves 14 spaced closely along the length thereof which serve to more positively anchor the wire against tearing loose from the wall of tube 11. The serrations or grooves 14 also retain the wire against relative longitudinal movement in the wall of the tube 11 during bending of the tube so that the wire does not extend from the end of tube 11 upon bending. Preferably the tube should be bent in the direction placing the wire 12 in one side wall of the bend rather than in the top or bottom of the bend, e.g. as shown in FIG. 5, so that less stress is placed between the wire 12 and the wall of tube 11.

It will be noted that the serrations or grooves 14 in the wire illustrated in FIG. 2 have relatively flat bottoms forming cords of the wire cross-section. Such serration can be formed by running the wire through a die comprising four wheels having transverse sharp ribs on their treads with the treads facing, pressed against and running along the wire as the wire is pulled through the wheels. In FIG. 3, there is shown a form of wire in which the bottoms of the grooves are concave and this wire can be formed by engaging each of the four opposing quadrants of the wire with a circular blade or sharp die or a plurality of axially aligned circular blades having their axis parallel to the axis of wire 12.

FIG. 4 illustrates the tubing 11 including the wire 12 with the serrations 14 in combination with a prior art tip member 15 such as that described in US. Pat. No. 3,256,- 885, and it will be seen that the serrations are effective to keep the wire from extending from the tube end during bending of the tube 11. On the other hand, a wire not having the serrations may become extended an appreciable distance from the tube end during bending; such as is shown in phantom at 12a in FIG. 4, so that a sharp end of the wire can project even through the end of the aspirator tip member.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, on one end of tube 11 there is secured a novel tip 16 which partially closes the end of tubing 11 and provides a plurality of small axial passageways 17 and 18 and a plurality of lateral passageways 19 through which saliva or other fluids can pass inwardly into the axial passage 13 of the tube 11, while screening out larger particles which might obstruct or clog the passage 13. The passageways 17, 18, 19 and the ridges and valleys in the tip prevent spongy or fibrous tissues in the mouth of a patient from occluding the tip.

The novel tip 16 is preferably molded of a smooth, soft, flexible plastic material such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene plastic, and comprises a plurality of axially extending rib sections 20 which are spaced circumferentially, preferably equidistant, from each other and are spaced radially from the longitudinal axis of the tip 16 a maximum distance equal to the exterior radius of the tube 11 to be used with the tip 16. The rib sections 20 include deformable or flexible angularly inwardly projecting, longitudinally extending, generally parallel, radially spaced tube engagement rib elements 21. The rib elements 21 do not project radially inward but instead are angled to project to the left of the center of the tip, as shown in FIG. 8. Each rib element 21 projects angularly in the same direction. The rib elements 21 could project to the right of the center of the tip as long as all rib elements 21 project in the same direction. In the unmounted state the innermost surface lines of each of the rib elements 21 has a diameter no larger than the outer diameter of the smallest diameter tube 11 that can be used. The outside diameter of the tube 11 can vary from the smallest just described up to a size wherein the rib elements 21 will be folded over flat against the inside wall of the rib sections 20 when in position on such a tube. The tip is attached to a tube 11 by dipping the tube end in a solvent material such that when the tip 16 is telescopically mounted over the end of the tube 11, the ends of the rib elements 21 will react with the solvent on the tube and become cemented to the tube thereby.

The combination of rib sections 20 having their proximal ends formed integrally with a short cylindrical section 24 which has an inner diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the above described imaginary cylinder, and the cylindrical section 24 is sufliciently thin to permit relative inward and outward flexing movement of the rib sections 20 so that the tip 16 is elastically expansible in diameter. This resilient expansibility, combined with the deformability of rib elements 21, permit the accommodation of various larger diameter tubes by the tip 16 and also assist in more tightly securing the tip 16 to the tube when telescoped over an end thereof.

The distal ends of the rib sections 20 extend in a convex curvature at 22 inwardly toward the axis of tip 16 and merge in a concavity at 23 of suflicient depth that convex portions 22 will space the bottom of the concavity 23 from tissues in the users mouth. Since the tips are most conveniently molded with the molding gate at the outer of their distal ends, any sharp projection remaining from removal of the molding gate will be blocked from contact with mouth tissue by the convex portions 22 of the rib sections 20.

In a preferred form of the aspirator tip, a blocking means, eg in the form of blocking ring 28, is provided intermediate the proximal and distal ends of rib sections 20. Blocking ring joins and helps strengthen the rib sections 20 and extends inwardly toward the axis of the tube 16 a distance suificient to engage the end 30 of tube 11 and functions as a stop for blocking any slidable member in the tube wall from extending from the tube end.

I claim:

1. A fluid aspirating device comprising a flexible tube, an elongate malleable member embedded in the tube wall and provided with transverse grooves for inhibiting axial movement of said member relative to the tube, an aspirator tip telescopically receiving an end of said tube by a proximal open end of said tip and comprising circumferentially spaced, radially expansible axial ribs forming ported side walls of the tip including deformable inwardly projecting elements on the inner surface of the ribs engaging the outer surface of the tube wall, means defining a centrally concave distal end of said tip including the residue of a molding gate in the distal end concavity, and means intermediate and spaced from the proximal and distal ends in said tip for blocking axial movement of said malleable member.

2. The device of claim .1 wherein said inwardly projecting elements are circumferentially spaced angularly projecting axial rib elements on the inner surfaces of said ribs for engaging the tube wall, and including means at the proximal end of the tip joining the rib ends comprising a ring element having a diameter greater than the inner diameter at the inner tips of said engaging rib elements for defining axial openings between the tube and ring element, the rib elements being expansible for accommodating tubes of various sizes with outer diameters greater than said innermost diameter of the tip element, and said blocking means comprises a second ring element interconnecting said rib members and spaced from said dital end to define an inlet chamber in the tip adjacent said distal end for receiving liquid through slots defined between said ribs, said second ring element having an inner diameter smaller than said innermost diameter of the tip elements of the engaging rib elements and a surface facing said proximal end for blocking axial movement of the malleable member.

3. A tube member for a fluid aspirating device for telescopically receiving an aspirator tip over an end thereof, said tube member comprising a flexible tube and an elongate malleable member embedded in the tube wall including an axial series of transverse grooves in the outer surface of said melleable member for inhibiting axial movement of said member relative to the tube wall.

4. The tube member of claim 3 wherein said melleable member is a cylindrical wire and said grooves comprise a plurality of circumferentially disposed axial arrays of transverse grooves having generally linear bottoms defining chords of the cylindrical wire.

5. The tube member of claim 3 wherein said malleable member is a cylindrical wire and said grooves comprise a plurality of circumferentially disposed axial arrays of transverse grooves having concave curved bottoms.

6. A fluid aspirating device comprising a flexible plastic tube, an elongate cylindrical wire embedded in the tube wall, a plurality of circumferentially disposed axial series of transverse grooves in said wire and receiving plastic material of said tube wall therein for inhibiting axial movement of said wire relative to the tube wall, a cup shaped aspirator tip telescopically receiving one end of said tube by a proximal open end of said tip and comprising radially spaced axial ribs forming ported side walls of the tip including axial rib elements along the inner surface of the ribs engaging the outer surface of the tube wall, convex radial extensions of said ribs defining the peripheral portion of a ported distal end of said tip as the bottom of said cup shape and extending axially centrally of said tip adjacent the axis thereof and terminating as a central concavity in the tip end, the residue of a molding gate in said concavity, a first ring element at the proximal end of the tip joining the rib ends having a diameter greater than the inner diameter at the inner tips of said engaging rib elements for defining axial openings between the tube and ring element, the rib elements being expansible for accommodating tubes of various sizes with outer diameters greater than said inner tip inner diameter, a second ring element interconnecting said rib members spaced from said proximal end of the tip and spaced from References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,256,885 6/1966 Higgins 32-33 X 3,086,289 4/ 1963 Orsing 32-33 522,842 7/ 1894 Lawshe 32-33 FOREIGN PATENTS 245,246 9/ 1962 Australia.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

